In Oklahoma, senators serve four-year terms with a limit of a combined total of twelve years served in the Senate and House of Representatives.

In Oklahoma, senators serve four-year terms with a limit of a combined total of twelve years served in the Senate and House of Representatives.

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There are 24 seats up for election in the Oklahoma senate. Incumbents are running for re-election in 16 of those races. Of the remaining 8 districts, 6 incumbents are ineligible to run because of term limits.

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There are 24 seats up for election in the Oklahoma senate. Incumbents are running for re-election in 16 of those races. Of the remaining 8 districts, 6 incumbents were ineligible to run because of term limits.

The [[Oklahoma State Senate]] has been a term-limited state senate since Oklahoma voters approved [[Oklahoma State Legislative Term Limits, State Question 632 (1990)|State Question 632 in 1990]], as an {{icafull}}. This amendment became part of [[Article V, Oklahoma Constitution#Section 17A|Section 17A of Article V]] of the [[Oklahoma Constitution]] and limits the amount of time that an [[Oklahoma State Senator]] can serve to a cumulative total of 12 years in either or both chambers of the [[Oklahoma State Legislature]].

The [[Oklahoma State Senate]] has been a term-limited state senate since Oklahoma voters approved [[Oklahoma State Legislative Term Limits, State Question 632 (1990)|State Question 632 in 1990]], as an {{icafull}}. This amendment became part of [[Article V, Oklahoma Constitution#Section 17A|Section 17A of Article V]] of the [[Oklahoma Constitution]] and limits the amount of time that an [[Oklahoma State Senator]] can serve to a cumulative total of 12 years in either or both chambers of the [[Oklahoma State Legislature]].

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Altogether, there are 48 [[Oklahoma State Senator]]s. In 2010, five of them who are [[:Category:Current members of state senates|current members]] are ineligible to run for the senate again in November. A sixth current state senator, [[Mary Easley]], technically could run again but because of the timing of when she first began to serve in the state legislature, she could only hold office for four months. Thus, she is included in a list below of six members who are effected by term limits in this year's senate elections:

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Altogether, there are 48 [[Oklahoma State Senator]]s. In 2010, five of them who are [[:Category:Current members of state senates|current members]] were ineligible to run for the senate again in November. A sixth current state senator, [[Mary Easley]], technically could run again but because of the timing of when she first began to serve in the state legislature, she could only hold office for four months. Thus, she is included in a list below of six members who are effected by term limits in this year's senate elections:

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 9, 2010. The primary election day was July 27, 2010.

In Oklahoma, senators serve four-year terms with a limit of a combined total of twelve years served in the Senate and House of Representatives.

There are 24 seats up for election in the Oklahoma senate. Incumbents are running for re-election in 16 of those races. Of the remaining 8 districts, 6 incumbents were ineligible to run because of term limits.

Campaign contributions

This chart shows how many candidates ran for state senate in Oklahoma in past years and the cumulative amount of campaign contributions in state senate races, including contributions in both primary and general election contests. All figures come from Follow The Money.[1]

Year

Number of candidates

Total contributions

2008

48

$7,137,699

2006

59

$7,222,412

2004

87

$6,451,890

2002

52

$4,170,343

Qualifications

Article 5, Section 17 of the Oklahoma Constitution states: Members of the Senate shall be at least twenty-five years of age, and members of the House of Representatives twenty-one years of age at the time of their election. They shall be qualified electors in their respective counties or districts and shall reside in their respective counties or districts during their term of office.

Altogether, there are 48 Oklahoma State Senators. In 2010, five of them who are current members were ineligible to run for the senate again in November. A sixth current state senator, Mary Easley, technically could run again but because of the timing of when she first began to serve in the state legislature, she could only hold office for four months. Thus, she is included in a list below of six members who are effected by term limits in this year's senate elections:

Majority control

Incumbency

Unopposed incumbents

There are 16 incumbents seeking re-election. 8 incumbents (43.8% of those seeking re-election) face no primary or general election challenger and are thus, barring unforeseen
circumstances, guaranteed re-election in November.

3 Democratic incumbents face no November challenger.

5 GOP incumbents face no November challenger.

Primary challenges

Only 4 incumbents (25% of those seeking re-election) faced competition in the July 27 primary. All 4 defeated their primary opponents. These incumbents are as follows:

Retiring incumbents

2 incumbent senators (8.3% of all incumbents) have chosen not to run for re-election, while 16 incumbents (66.6% of all incumbents) are running for re-election. Of the 2 incumbents who are retiring, 1 is a Democrat and 1 is Republican. The retirees are as follows: